


The Legend of Darkness

by Zinnasith



Category: Apex Legends (Video Games), Titanfall (Video Games)
Genre: Action & Romance, Action/Adventure, Alternate Universe - Robots & Androids, Apex Games, Cyberpunk, Domestic Fluff, Eventual Smut, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Humor, Fluff and Smut, Romantic Fluff, Science Fiction, Shameless Smut, Slow Build, Slow Burn, Slow Romance, Smut
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-11
Updated: 2021-03-04
Packaged: 2021-03-16 10:35:02
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 8
Words: 21,473
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29080977
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Zinnasith/pseuds/Zinnasith
Summary: Andromeda, having barely escaped with her life from the Frontier War, settles down as a mechanical parts shop keeper in downtown Solace City. War-stricken and traumatised, she finds comfort in an allusive figure that frequents her shop only at night. Little did she know what this meant for her future.Follow this epic journey of lust, betrayal and sacrifice as Andromeda learns how dangerous it can be when you're involved in Crypto's life!
Relationships: Cry - Relationship, Crypto | Park Tae Joon/Original Character(s), Crypto | Park Tae Joon/Reader, Crypto | Park Tae Joon/You
Comments: 2
Kudos: 7





	1. Solace City

The sun had not yet set on the morally depraved, lawless city that was known as Solace when the darkness began crawling up the cracks and corners. Night offered no comfort to the heat that permeated the air that day, concrete buildings still buzzed with residual sunlight, scorching any unlucky bug that landed on its side. With darkness came the thick, inescapable smoke from street vendors as they began service, and the stench of fish guts rotting in dumpsters; the only fresh air was for the rich that could afford the penthouses at the top of dwindling tall skyscrapers.

For Andromeda, the day had just begun. Her bed, which was little more than a dingy old hammock, swayed gently in the breeze of her fan that blew hot air across her sprawled out body. She had barely slept, and when she did, it brought little relief. In those brief, delicate moments where she managed to drift off into a snooze, she hears the bloodcurdling scream of her mother. She jolts awake, feeling the pain in her left hand again - but she doesn't have one. It's gone. She has to touch the stump where her forearm ends to remind herself that the pain isn't there. No, not anymore. She thought after all these years that the memories of the Frontier War wouldn't hurt her anymore, but they do, and it lingers. 

Andromeda swung out of her hammock and picked her robotic hand off her working desk, fixing it firmly to her forearm. Last night the wrist gave again, and boy, was it was a bitch to fix. Bloody Junker Tee had ticked her again, trading her a shoddy part for a capacitor that was could've gotten her food for a week, only to break after three days. She'll have his nuts for that, if he ever shows up again. You can't be sure that you would see anyone ever again when you're living in Downtown Solace.

Her parts shop was a cramped two level storefront on the dinky corner of Tinker Street, where all the blackmarket parts are sold in Solace City. It wasn't much; just buckets and racks and magazines filled with parts, with a service desk that had chairs and a bottle of spirits she kept for generous customers. It was dark, and dripping with oil, and covered in dust and metal filings, but to her it was just enough to get by. All parts shops were the looked the same but it was the the people who ran them made Tinker Street rich with personality. You want a sprocket from a Reaper? Ol Marge two stores down will fix you up. How about a Bearing Block from a Stalker? Blackgears will trade you one for the right price. 

However, Andromeda had something no one else had on the block. A Titan. 

That old, rusted bucket sitting in the corner of her shop cost her all her life savings. Believe it or not, the easiest part was to get the contraband - now she just had to dissemble the damn thing! As much as she despised the beast, she could taste the fresh air when she looked at it. Andromeda could see her freedom in the reflection of the cracked glass eye that starred lifelessly into her shop. Yes. This was going to be her ticket out of Solace. 

The badly beaten and busted mech was slumped over in the very back corner of the shop floor. Damn thing was so big she had to rip off one of its arms to get it inside. Andromeda didn't care for it, but she believed it was an Ogre titan, or a Scorch to be more specific. Heavily armoured, a 800-pound gorilla that had been strictly prohibited since the fall of the IMC. Hammond Robotics now puts a bounty on anyone who is in possession of any of their Titans. No one knew why they want them back - but they do, and they'll comb every universe looking for them. She was aware of this though, and she knew it was just a bomb waiting to go off. She needed it off her shop floor as quickly as possible, but the bloody scrapheap was unusually hard to dismantle. Even for her!

Being slightly more awake now, she fixed herself a pot of instant noodles and switched on her audio magnifier to catch the nightly broadcast of Downtown tunes. She sat down in front of the broken off Scorch arm that was laid out on her desk and began to tackle the beast with her trusty screwdriver. An urgent banging came from her storefront shutter. It was barely seven, far too early to have Junkers begging for spare parts.

Andromeda sighed, and eventually turned on the hologram speaker to just to shut the knocker up. "No Junkers! Get your fix elsewhere tonight." She said without looking up to who the hologram was projecting.

"Who are you calling a Junker!" Yelled back the person, catching her attention. It was Crank, a cyborg that was more robot than human. Andromeda had the misfortune of fishing them out of a dumpster of a local drinking dive, thinking it was just an abandoned M.A.R.V.N robot. It gave her a pretty bad shock when he woke up and started to scream, only after taking off his foot, of course. He was lucky that she was kind enough to put his foot back on and not just take the stupid thing. As she was putting it back on (which was oh, so kind of her), he told her he didn't remember his namer, she she named him Crank. In retrospect, she wished she had named him Annoying.

"You better let me in before Blackgear tries to take my sight sockets, again."

Andromeda flicked the switch to the front shutter, and with the high pitched squealing of gears and hydraulics came in the all the sounds of life from Downtown Solace, flooding her store. It must've been raining, she thought, Crank's dripping wet. Or maybe he had been thrown in the sewage again. 

"It's too early you know! Too early to be dealing with you, so you better tell me why you're here!" She loudly spoke as she threw a large cloth over the Scorch arm.

"Some punk tried stealing my reflex motor, lend me a hand?"

Andromeda peered around the corner on her chair, unamused. "You know getting parts stollen is your fault when you kicked out of bars every night and sleep in dumpsters. You're lucky I took your foot off first, not your head!" She glided over to her other counter on her swivel chair, taking hold of Crank's damaged reflex motor that was barely hanging onto his mechanical body. "One of these days I'm gonna start charging you, ya know?" She flipped down her visor to have a closer look at the broken wires. "Oof, that's gonna cost ya."

"I have somethin' I want to tell ya! While at Angel's Bane, you know that dive on Neon Lane? That one that I swear I saw Mirage in, you know the one! With the hole in the wall...?"

Andromeda was quiet.

"You know it. It's the bar that was raided after word spread that it became a fighting ring at night. Called it the Apex Pit."

"Ahhhh that one... Fat chance Mirage would be seen there. He's got his own place now, I heard it's barely making bank."

"He _was_ there! - Anyway, I was saying while I was at Angel's Bane I overheard a couple guys talking 'bout dropping off a Titan here! Downtown! You wouldn't know anything about that, would ya? I expect half the city knows by now!"

She felt her heart shudder against her chest, but she didn't let it show. "No... I didn't know." She asked coldly as she focused on her hands.

"Well - a weird looking guy then said he's making bets on how long before Hammond finds out. Said that the last guy on Solace to have a Titan - or just a leg of a Titan - only lived another five days. 

"Yeah, well that's what happens when you advertise it on the outside of your shop. You're all fixed up now-" She put the screwdriver down onto the table and flipped up her visor. In the corner of her eye she noticed three shadowy figures standing at the open door. She stood up suddenly. 

"Get the fuck outa my shopfront!" Andromeda yelled at them, her hand already wrapped around the hilt of her mastiff that was hidden underneath her desk. 

Junkers, and these were some bad ones, too. Their bloody, unnaturally neon eyes were bulging out of their heads, hands trembling, mouths gaping open with droll falling onto their tattered clothes.

"We heard... We heard... Titan... Where is it? So yummy..." One of them howled, deranged with whatever substance they were abusing that day. 

Another one giggled manically. 

In one swift motion she pulled her shotgun out, pumped the barrel and fired one warning shot in their direction. "Get out of here before I blow your brains are all over the fuckin' sidewalk." She yelled. 

The figures scattered like cockroaches before she could take aim at on of them. By the time she was at the doors, they had already disappeared into the swelling tide of faces that rushed through Tinker Street. She put her hand on her hip, "Heavens." She cursed deeply underneath her breath. "They're already looking for it. Fucking great..." 

She flicked the manual switch for the shutters that was just beside the door. She stood there in silence, watching as the last pangs of natural light retreated from Downtown Solace. The night had just begun, and although it was raining, she knew that one hell of a storm was yet to come. She could feel it coming, _something_ was coming. 

Hours had passed since those three Junkers came, and there had been no sign of them since. _It was unusual,_ Andromeda thought to herself, but she didn't have much time to think as tonight was busy. There was an underground robot tournament coming up, so she had a few customers coming in every hour looking for specific parts. Drinks were poured for the ones that bought several items, or commissioned her to fix up a part while they waited in store.

She guessed it was about four in the morning when she had just finished fixing up a tack that had come off chassis, her arms were elbow deep in grime and oil, and she was starving. Luckily the store was empty for the moment, allowing her time to wipe the grime off her with a rag while she waited for the water to boil on the makeshift stove she had. She sighed, deep in thought as her mind drifted to the Titan that was hidden out of sight. She had barely taken apart a tenth (or even a sixteenth) of it in the handful of days that she had been storing it! She was already running out of time to disassemble and trade the parts before big brother Hammond caught on.

"Oh, at least you've never tried to hurt me." She confessed to the partly prepared cup of instant noodles that was before her. 

It had been raining that night. "Raining" in this part of Solace was a light, hot wash of dust and acid rain. However, she could've sworn she heard the genuine pitter patter of actual water on the pavement outside her store - but it was no more than a faint drizzle now. The air was still so hot and thick with smoke, and fowl tasting, and acrid, her body was drenched in sweat. Her shop was filled with the residual sound of the Apex Games as it played on her computer screen. She didn't bet on the games, she wasn't into that shit, but she streamed it for her customers to enjoy. She imagined Crank sitting at Angel's Bane with his head in his hands after losing a bet. He always picks Pathfinder, and in this game Caustic solo clutched for the win. "Heh..." She chuckled to herself before taking a swig from her bottled water, and wiped the beads of sweat off her brow with her dirty, loose-hanging shirt. 

Suddenly she noticed a figure standing in her storefront. 

She was instantly on edge from just the sight of them standing there, staring into her store - just like the Junkers from before. They were wearing a long dark jacket with a hood that covered their entire face. Even here in Downtown you wouldn't hide your face unless you're looking to cause some trouble.

She reached for her mastiff under her desk, but was surprised when the mysterious figure calmly took a seat at her service bar. "I don't serve folks that hide their face... No, not here. Go down the street where they don't care."

They didn't move.

"Ey, buddy! Did you hear me? I said I don't serve folks like you here, now get lost!" Andromeda raised her voice, her fingers about to unlatch her gun when they silently put something on the surface in front of him.

Andromeda cautiously walked over, peering over to see what it was. Their red colour and circular shape was unmistakable, they were Legend Tokens. Here, everyone worked on a currency of chips and bartering, while the upper tiers were rich enough to afford Legend Tokens. There was three of them just sitting there, completely oblivious to the fact that just one of them will get you killed if you show it off on these streets. 

Andromeda shook her head, "I'm not that type of girl-"

"I am in need of a fibertext wire." She could tell from their voice that they were a man. His accent was something she hasn't heard in a while.

Fibertext wire was a patterned product of Hammond Robotics, and he wouldn't have said it if she didn't know exactly what it meant. She put both her hands on the bar and leaned forward, "You best get out of my shop. I don't have any of that shit here."

The man reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out another ten Legend Tokens, laying them on top of the others. She leaned in closer to see his face but he had his head tilted down, hiding himself in the darkness of his hood.

She paused, looking down at the Tokens. "You give me twenty Tokens and I'll give you half a yard - And! You have to tell me how you found out."

Andromeda hadn't even started to sell the Titan parts to the public yet, only to private dealers and other vendors she had known for years.

He didn't move.

"You're not much of a talker, are ya?" Andromeda broke the tension that was as sharp as a knife, grabbing a shot glass and the bottle of spirits to pour him a drink. Even the tougher skinned folks that frequent her shop soften after a couple of shots and a friendly conversation.

He put his hand over the glass, blocking it. She noticed that his two outside fingers were as dark as jet. His other hand was tucked inside his jacket pocket. "Fifty Tokens and you ask no questions."

 _FIFTY FUCKING TOKENS!??!_ Andromeda's thoughts rushed to her head in excitement. It wouldn't be nearly enough to get out of here but boy, was it more than anything she's ever had before. 

Despite her excitement, she remained composed on the outside. "This neighbourhood is getting weird..." Andromeda sighed as she put the bottle back down. "You listen to me, yeah? You will tell no one that you got it from me. Wait here." She said before disappearing into the dark, cluttered labyrinth that was her shop.

True to his word, he did wait, oddly enough. Was he even breathing? She didn't know or care when there was fifty Legend Tokens on the line! She could buy a proper up-market ballbearing for her wrist, like the shiny brand new ones they use for Apex Legend repairs. Better yet, she would still have enough leftover to buy some actual beef for a ramdon! She could taste in her mouth already. She almost couldn't contain her excitement as she crawled under the Titan to find half a yard of fibertext wire. She had only seen it located in the core; it must have something to do with transmission but she couldn't be sure. Whoever developed these Titans had far more understanding of robotics than she could ever dream of, but luckily for her it doesn't take a genius to dissemble it.

Andromeda returned back to the storefront with the wire. They did a very quick exchange of goods, and he was already out of her store before she could offer him another drink. She watched him take a turn left into the alley that rang alongside her shop. 

_Werido._ She thought, looking down at all her Tokens, realising that there was fifty five instead of just fifty. She may be a blackmarket dealer but she was honest businesswoman. Fifty was agreed on, and only fifty she will accept. 

She took off out of her store into the grim, dripping wet alley where she could just make out their outline in the distance. "Ey, buddy!" She called out, careful not to show the extra Legend Tokens that she had in her hand. "EY!" 

He didn't look back.

Andromeda ran right up to him, but he still refused to acknowledge her presence. 

"I don't want this. I didn't earn it so take them back before we both get shanked." Andromeda explained, reaching to tap his high shoulder to get his attention. 

He suddenly stopped, spun around, and snatched her extended wrist with his hand. Her heart shuddered at how lightning fast and accurate he was. How did he know exactly where she was? 

"Try to touch me again and I will kill you." He growled, looking down on her with two hauntingly dark, unforgiving eyes. They were filled with so much distrust, disgust and rage that she could've been a cockroach at his feet. 

For the first time she could see his face underneath his hood in the grungy neon light from the sign that was just above them. She was instantly struck by the mechanical alterations he had imbedded into his skin that stretched from jaw to ears and staggered down the neck, with five shapes of the same metal embossed into his brow and cheekbone on the left side of his face. Above the black alloy was his actual skin; it was pale, and warm, like the very first light of day. His expression was cold though, and so very reserved, his brow was matte even in this humidity. Strands of ebony black hair fall over his right eye, however, she could see he had a shaved undercut. There was something about him that was faintly familiar, but she couldn't remember. Her very breath had stopped as she looked into his eyes. It was hard to concentrate when she could feel the texture of his skin against hers as he dug his fingertips into her naked wrist. 

"T-Ta-ke it!" Andromeda snarled back, slightly unnerved by how fast her heart was beating against her chest. She firmly shoved the Tokens into his free hand."Cause trouble like this again and you won't be able to take another step onto my street." 

He withdrew both his hands and tucked them into his pockets, keeping the Tokens. "I was never here." He whispered before turning around. 

There, as she watched him walk away, she felt a strong urge to give him a piece of her mind but shook her head after a moment of thought. "Meh- You're not worth my time. Good riddance!" She spat into the darkness. She prayed to the Heavens he wouldn't come back to her shop. It's been a while since she's dealt with a person like that. _Sheesh! What a weirdo... A cute werido - no - A psycho, yes, most likely._

His figure continued to walk away into the veil of darkness at the end of the alley and quickly disappeared out of sight. Andromeda looked up to the cloudy sky that peeked through the cracks of the skyscrapers above. Drops of dry, sooty rain started to fall, landing on her burning hot cheeks. That's when she noticed a drone eerily watching her. 

_It's nothing. The store is waiting._

Andromeda walked back to her shop feeling guilt-free and with the image of his cruel eyes still fresh on her mind, unknowingly passing an old, tattered wanted sign that clung to her back entrance shutter. It was just for some fool named Tae Joon Park.


	2. Empty Shell

It had been a month and a half - or five weeks, three days and roughly two hours - since that strange fellow came to her shop (but she wasn't counting, of course!). Since then, she had managed to flip a number of Titan parts without raising a single suspicion from onlooker or enforcement alike. She had to sell them at a rate that was uncomfortably slow, like a drip, steadily filling the streets of Downtown Solace with even more contraband. Soon, her underground safe was filled with Tokens, chips, jewellery, precious stones and metals, heirlooms, even exquisite clothes - anything with value that she could trade in the future. But it still wasn't enough.

_Just a little more... Just a few more pieces and I'll be set, I'll be ready!_ Andromeda would tell herself as she tried to sleep. She could almost - just almost - taste the fresh air. 

But for now all she could taste was the leftover umami flavour of beef in her mouth. She sat back in her swivel chair with her feet up on the desk, watching a stray cat nibble on the scraps she had put on the floor. Andromeda didn't have much to spare as she would be licking the bowl clean if not for the little black cat that had wondered into her shop. The poor thing looked like it could use a feed more than her, so she obliged.

"I haven't seen you before. It's good, innit? Bloody hope it would be... Cost a fortune." She said quietly before loudly yawn out of exhaustion. 

It was around three in the morning and business had been slow that night. She was considering closing up early so she could work on the Titan in peace when she heard the distinctive sound of approaching footsteps. Her tired eyelids were so heavy she could barely lift them to see who it was. It was probably just Crank again. This was just around the exact time he would show up to ask for another repair.

"If that's you Crank, I'm gonna take your foot off for good! This will be your fourth repair in one week, I don't even know why you go to dives. You can't even drink?" She said haphazardly, threading her fingers through her short, oily hair.

The silence after she spoke created an uneasy feeling at the bottom of her ramdon-filled stomach. She opened her eyes, expecting a Junker or an officer to be standing there at her door. 

But it wasn't. It was _him_. Andromeda stood up in shock, and watched him sit down on the exact seat he had used five weeks (three days and two hours) ago. 

"I don't know what you're looking for, bud, but I promise you I don't have it here. If you're after weapon mods I can't help you with any of that. Rampart is your go-to-gal. She's set up shop on Gaea but she's worth the trip." 

He reached into his pocket like he did before, taking out even a larger amount of Legend Tokens and placed it in front of him. It would've been at least a hundred Tokens. 

"I am looking for a capacitor chip." He said quietly, as if he was afraid to speak too loudly.

Andromeda shook her head. "Can't help you there. I have no idea what you're talking about." 

"I don't have much time, will you help me?" His voice sounded uneasy, riddled with anxiety he was trying to hide. 

"If the price is right." Andromeda flicked the shutter switch, closing the two of them in her shop. She walked over to the bar, "I have a fella coming Thursday. I've got a pretty good deal going with him. Only one of these chips per Titan, right? Oof.... That's gotta be pretty rare nowadays." She reached under the bar to take out a shot glass and the spirits bottle. She could faintly outline the shape of his almond-shaped eyes underneath his hood, undoubtably staring at her. "Oh this isn't for you, mate! Heaven knows I need it to deal with you." She chuckled to herself. 

"Five hundred." He sounded urgent. 

She took a shot. "Ha! And sell myself short? Do you know how hard it was to get that little piece of plastic out of that thing? Took me days."

"Eight hundred then!" 

"One thousand, and one answer to a question I have." She paused and leaned forward a little, "Who are you?"

Andromeda could see that we was growing more restless by the second. He abruptly stood up, looking over his shoulder as if someone else was there. He pulled something out of his pocket, some sort of handheld complex that he could unlock by holding it with both his hands. A green hologram appeared, projecting an image of the street outside. 

"I see one of them. 가까이 있다." (They're near), he whispered under his breath. 

"I won't do business with you if you keep acting like th-" The power suddenly went out. Impenetrable darkness swallowed her whole in one quick bite. She felt her heart begin to shudder. 

_It's nothing._ She told herself. _The generator will kick in soon. Some ass probably cut the wires again.... O-or the power breakers short circuited for the millionth time... Or-or--_

But the generator didn't kick in, and darkness prevailed. And it was silent, except for the murmurs and clatter of the bustling street on the other side of the shutter. 

She felt his lips brush past her ear, the gentle pressure of his chest against her back. His bare skin, so cold, so still. His steady breath rolled down her naked neck and over her upper chest, giving her spine-tingling chills. He was calm, his breath bated as if ready for a fight. 

"You're being watched." He whispered so, so quietly into her ear. 

Andromeda didn't doubt him from the tone of his voice. She had felt it, too; the ever lurking, ever irking feeling that she was never alone. It had been that way since he first came. In the dark her hand groped for her screwdriver that hung off her belt. 

"If I know who you are, so do they. Watch your back. I won't always be around. I'll be back for the chip." 

The lights stared to flickering in short, janky bursts. 

A flash of light ripped through the air. Andromeda swung her body around, thrusting her screwdriver in his direction with all her strength. 

Darkness flooded back in. He moved, the space behind her was empty, but she could feel he was still near.

Another flash. He was there, standing by her back door!

Dark. Light flash. Dark, again. She saw the green neon glow of his hologram disappear. 

Andromeda threw herself at her desk, unhooking her mastiff and pumped the barrel when suddenly lights flickered on for a last time. She was disorientated, her sights blurry, unable to see clearly, heart thundering, a dark shadow moved in the corner of her eye! She swung around, instantly discharging a shell in its direction. The sound of shattering metal tore through the silence as the spray launched itself over her entire workshop. The empty shell bounced across the concrete floor. 

But he was gone. The back door creaked as it swayed in the hot breeze, littered with shrapnel holes from her shot. She ran over, slamming the door shut without even looking outside. She pumped the barrel again, holding the shotgun to her heaving chest as she waited in the eery silence, ready to discharge another round. 

"What's going on in there?! Are you ok?" She heard her neighbour yell from outside the front. They were trying to get in. 

Andromeda waited another moment. Nothing. Not a footstep to be heard. She quickly bolted the door shut with the open latch. "Just some garbage rats!" She yelled back, "Thought they were Junkers." 

"Must've been some bloody big rats then!" They replied with of relief in their voice. 

After that, she couldn't lay down or even sit. Her muscles still twitched and rippled uncontrollably, ready to defend herself during every waking moment. The adrenaline that was still pumping through her body stopped her from sleeping or even closing her eyes. Instead, she welded two inches of steal reinforcement onto her back door. The endoskeleton of the Scorch silently watched her from the dark corner, tormenting her with those empty holes as eyes. 

Maybe he was right... Andromeda had taken precautions to keep as inconspicuous as she could, but even then, she wasn't naive about the small fortune she was sitting on now, or that whispers spread like wildfire here on Tinker Street. She would see their gazing eyes, their lips moving silently as they talked to one another, gossiping, speculating, plotting... 

_No. He's just a paranoid freak. Tough luck tryin' to get your chip now._

Yet, for some reason that capacitor chip continued to sit in the back of her work drawer, gathering dust as long nights rolled on by. She was convinced that he would never return, considering how she did _try_ to put a shotgun shell in him. Luckily for her other customers (and her), her mastiff remained safely tucked away when handsome offers for the chip were being negotiated - but she refused them all. Andromeda told herself that she would hold onto it just a _little_ longer while she sold the last few lots of Titan parts. Only then could she afford to leave Solace for good. 

Nearly two weeks had passed and there had been no sight of him, however, his warning lingered in the back of her mind until it was undeniable that she was being watched. She could feel the dread of their eyes on the back of her neck during every waking moment. Junkers, neighbours, folks from Inner Solace, hovering around her shop with no intention of buying. Someone must have said something they shouldn't have... Someone snitched. 

Tonight, the air was saturated with terror and jealously. Something moved through the darkness towards her, she could feel it from a mile away. 

Andromeda wasn't going to risk everything she earned. Not for a fucking second. Her neighbours could no longer be trusted with security, and Crank wasn't picking up her calls, so it was going to be just her for the night. 

It was barely midnight and she could already hear their raspy snarls and barks echoing from the end of the alley, crawling out of the shadows and seeping out of the cracks. She laid down the android she had been repairing and silently reached for her shutter switch without missing a beat. She flicked the switch quickly, hearing their footsteps growing louder. But nothing moved. She felt the blood drain out of her face as she came to the horrible realisation that someone had jammed the shutter with a scrap metal while she wasn't looking. 

"Damn it!" She cursed, almost losing consciousness from the fear that tore through her entire body. 

It was too late. They stood at her store entrance, six of them, all rotting with skin dripping off their faces and hands. Eyes aglow with Stim abuse, their veins indigo, twitching, restless, licking their lips as they stared hungrily at her. This was planned, she knew, Junkers kill each other for the other's parts, unless they had one shared target. 

"Leave!" Andromeda warned, "Or I'll kill you all." 

One of them broke out in a sick, tormented laugh as the others began slithering further into her shop. 

"You think I haven't killed your kind before? You want to die over some engine oil and a couple of chips?" She yelled, desperately reaching for her shotgun under her desk. Her heart sank. It wasn't there. "Fuck" She whispered under her breath, remembering that she had left it on her workbench. She looked over, it's only three foot away. She could make it, or she could die trying. 

"We know you have more hidden away...." One of them moaned with pleasure. "We want. Just give it to us!" 

Before she could move a Junker suddenly lunged at her, taking her by surprise. With its terrible claws outstretched, it latched onto her left shoulder and bit down with its ferocious teeth. She screamed in pain, feeling it rip a chunk of skin straight out of her. Blood flew across the floor and all down her arm as the Junker lifted its head, spitting her flesh into the air. With all her might she threw it off her back onto the floor, smashing open its head with the heel of her boot. 

Another one charged as soon as they heard the sound of cracking bones. She reached for her belt, unhooking her screwdriver and slammed it straight into the neck of the oncoming Junker before it could knock her to the ground. The Junker's putrified blood sprayed out its neck as it wriggled on the floor, taking its last shallow breaths. 

"Oh come on...." One of them moaned. "We'll give you a fast death if you tell us where it is. We just want our fix. Tell us... Tell us.... _Tell us!_ " 

Andromeda could feeling her blood gushing from her bite wound, watching as a third Junker moved towards her, with another close behind. 

"I don't know what you're talking about!" She growled through her gritted teeth as she tried to stop the blood-flow with her hand. 

She looked into its eyes. This one had been a woman, once, a long time ago, but now that was left was a soulless creature. It gnashed its rotting teeth at her, eyes wide and bloodshot, oozing a neon substance. 

"It's not too late. I will let you walk away if you just leave."

The Junker shook its head menacingly. 

Andromeda dashed for her mastiff, the Junker was on quick pursuit, screaming as it tried slashing her with its sharpened nails. She pumped the barrel, firing a shell straight into the face of the oncoming creature without hesitation. Its head exploded off its shoulders, sending lumps of rotten flesh and brain all over everything. She tried to shoot again but another tackled her from behind, throwing her straight into corner of her desk. A horrific sound of cracking bones ripped through the air. 

Andromeda let out a breathless scream as all the air was sucked straight out of her lungs. She came crashing to the floor with scrap metal falling on top of, unable to breathe, scrambling for her shotgun that landed with a thud in a puddle of blood and mangled chunks of flesh. The Junker kicked her onto her back, her arms were outstretched, groping for something, anything! It kicked her in her broken ribs, immobilising her completely from the pain. It put one foot on her outstretched mechanical hand, and ever so slowly crushed it with its body weight. Sparks flew, and then _crunch_. She could no longer feel it. It fell into pieces. 

He laughed manically, relishing in her her silent screams, and sat down on her chest. She flayed her body around under the weight of it, trying to throw them off with the fading strength she had left in her. Her lungs were furiously screaming for air, her chest felt like it was on fire. 

It looked down at her, smiling. "Look at you... Still trying to fight." 

She began dropping in and out of consciousness, and her mind began to shudder like someone was frantically flicking a switch. She felt the strength beginning to subside as the pain grew too much. Her hand... she couldn't feel it. Her legs fall flat against the floor, barely being able to move. The darkness was closing in. 

The Junker laughed again as they watched her face turn shades of purple. Her blue lips were wide open as she desperately tried to suck in any air. "You should've just told us, dumb cunt!" He snarled, wrapping a hand around her protruding throat. 

Andromeda felt her eyes roll into the back of her head, she couldn't see; there was darkness, only darkness.... And it was warm. 

Is this what her mother felt in her final moments? 


	3. Death... At Last

_Mama.... Don't let go of my hand... I won't go, hold onto me!_

_Baby... You need to leave me. R-run...._

_No mama! I won't. I can't!_

_It's time, Ana. I won't be able to protect you from now on. R-run... Now!_

Andromeda remembered death so much it was more like a memory. It was more real and visceral than anything that was in her life, she was surrounded by it. An empty void in her heart that her mother's death left behind. The smell of it in the air. The taste... It was in her skin, her bones. She couldn't escape it. 

_It's time, Ana._

In the darkness she saw the smoky, ash riddled-sky open up again, and out came a shimmering downpour of fire over her world. Life... It was so wonderful back then. And she watched it all get torn apart when the bombs dropped, ripping the earth into two. Gunfire, and explosions, smoke, blood-soaked earth. 

_Mama!..._

Andromeda had spotted her trapped under rubble. 

_Take my hand!_

_Baby, I can't move... I'm stuck._

Her body just too small back then to lift the slap of concrete that was on top of her. The ground violently shook as another explosive shell came crashing into the earth. She remembered looking up; the sky was on fire, and bleeding with smoke. 

_I'm not going without you!_

A pipe thrusted through the earth, impaling her mother through the chest causing a fountain of blood to spurt from the wound. Andromeda held her mother's hand as she screamed in agony while her life began to slip away. These were the final seconds they had together, that's when the final bomb dropped, blowing everything away. 

_I didn't let go mama... I held on when the fire turned you to dust. I wish I was closer so we could've left together, but death decided to take my hand instead._

_It's time, Ana..._

_We're together now._

_It's time to open your eyes, baby._

_What do you mean, mama?_

_Open your eyes!_

Andromeda looked up to see her world on fire, smoke was pouring out through the collapsing ceiling and into the starless night. Burning support beams came tumbling down around her as the second level began to give into the flames. Through the sound of screaming metal and crackling wood, she heard two bullets fly over her. She couldn't see again, but she could feel her clothes melting to her body and her skin blistering underneath. 

"Hold on! You're still in this." She heard someone say, and felt the a strange sensation, like her body was being lifted off the ground and into a pair of arms. 

Their skin... It was so... Cold. She felt her body begin to move through the fire as flaming tongues licked her fingers.

"I'm sorry it had to be like this. I couldn't get here earlier." 

"My chips... I need to get them...." She whispered into their neck. 

"It's all gone... I'm sorry." 

She flopped her head back and peeled open her badly swollen eyes to discover her entire shop was engulfed in towering fames. The scene was chaotic as people frantically scrambled for buckets of water or anything that would quench the raging fire. Her throat was badly hurt from the smoke, but she still managed to let out a croaky wail. She reached out her stubbed arm as if to grab the silhouette of her collapsing shop. Blistering hot tears began to steam down her cheeks as reality began to sink in; her life works was going up plumes of smoke and ash. 

"No... no, NO!" She tried to scream but all she could manage was a crackled, high pitched huff. "Let me burn with it. Let me die! Just let me die." She howled through her tears. 

They brought her closer into their broad chest. Her body was too weak to resist the arms that carried her away even though she tried to with the all strength she had left. She put her hand onto their chest and tried to press her body away. It was too much for her weakened heart to handle, and she plummeted back into total darkness, unable to claw her way back to consciousness. 

"Joh-a.... Joh-a!"

* * *

 _Wh-what's that...sound?_ Andromeda asked herself, feeling her mind slowly begin to float up to consciousness from the depths of a deep, dark sleep. 

_Oh... I'm still alive._

The only thing she could feel was the intense throbbing that wrapped around her entire head, making the idea of opening her eyes agonising to even think about. 

_Or maybe I am dead...? Is this what it's like?_

Andromeda couldn't feel her body, but she could faintly hear this annoyingly weird noise coming from the darkness.

Out of the quietness came the steady rhythm of her beating heart; she could hear the blood rushing through her veins, bringing not only the sensation of touch back, but also the crippling realisation that she still existed, unfortunately. No, that wasn't the sound though, it was something else... Buzzing?

She couldn't seem to die, and she wished she had. It would've been a lot easier that way. Instead she had to suffer through this! 

_Mama..._ Andromeda thought, trying to sink back into the darkness where she didn't have to feel pain. 

_Please, I want to be with you. Mam.... Ma-- What the hell was that noise?!_

Her mind was suddenly able to focus on the faint, flat humming coming from somewhere in the distance. It sounded like... Andromeda's head ached terribly as she tried to think. It... it was... a running hard drive! She could loosely make out the sweet clicker-clacker of plastic keys being typed on.

"Would you shut up? I'm trying to die here. I deserve some peace at least!" She whispered under her breath, or at least she thought she did. 

The key-clicking came to an abrupt silence after she spoke. Everything fall quiet, except the dull droning of the computer. Andromeda tried lifting up her heavy, and badly swollen eyelids but instantly closed them again. The light was far too bright, making her wince in pain from just that second of exposure. Her mind was exhausted from trying to figure out the noise, and she felt her thoughts begin to fade when she heard the distinctive sounds of approaching footsteps. 

They said something that she couldn't understand in a gentle, soothing tone of voice. 

She opened her blistered lips to try say something when a heavy wave of tiredness washed over her, slowly pulling her back down into the deep, bottomless depths of sleep.

Whoever stood near must've seen the distress on her face because they placed their cool, reassuring hand lightly on top of hers, cautious not to put any pressure on the ripe blisters. 

"Don't worry. You're safe here, I'm always watch-" 

She was gone before they could finish talking. 

* * *

During her deep slumber, Andromeda would feel her mind float up to the ebbing undercurrent of consciousness. She could feel the vibrations of faint voices rippling through the shallow as they talked above her, catching her attention. 

"She looks dead. She's not dead, right?.... Right...? Guys?!" 

"Chill, brotha. She's just sleepin'. Totally normal after gettin' beaten up like that." 

"She got slammed..." A third voice said. "Her shop was destroyed." 

"Don't worry. It's your first life threatening fight. Happens to the best of us... Anyway, I was sayin'... Wait, what was I saying??"

"Somethin' about Solace." 

"Oh yeah! Been sayin' that Paradise Lounge has needing a change in scenery, and she caused a lotta trouble and brought whole lotta attention to Solace City. Now everyone's coming to me... Mes? - Mes for a drink! How seren -sera - serendipidious - ah - whatever that mad scientist says anyway. Well, if she ever wakes up I'm gonna make sure buy her a drink... Oof, looks painful." 

Andromeda could hear the footsteps of whoever spoke move away from her, allowing her the quietness to sense that there was robotic chirping coming from right next to her. She opened her sore eyelids just a little bit to see a D.O.C drone looking at her with its one large, glowing blue eye. Years ago she once repaired one of these drones for a field medic that had returned from Typhon, however, she had never had the fortune to be healed by one. 

"H-he-y buddy, is that you that I-I feel-?" 

It chirped again in a happy digitalised shrill. One of its tendrils was connected to her forearm in order to pump its healing properties into her body. She already felt stronger; so-much-so that she could lift up her stumped arm to gently place on the D.O.C's back. 

Andromeda smirked softly at the drone, feeling herself start to drift back to sleep. 

"Thanks." She whispered. 

It cheerfully beeped again. 

"Hm nice place you got here, how much are ya payin'? Very den-like. Jeez how do your eyes not hurt from those things--Woah. I think she moved - I saw her move - did you see her move?!" 

Someone else approached her, placing a cool, moist towel on her forehead. 

"I've got ya." She whispered to Andromeda. 

* * * 

By the time Andromeda felt strong enough to wake up again hours must've passed because she couldn't sense any blinding light in the room that she was in. Her eyelids felt lighter, and less puffy, allowing her to open them properly for what seemed days. She certainly felt lethargic and weak like it had been days, or even weeks that she slept through. 

Her eyes couldn't focus, straining heavily just to make out the blurry blue and black shapes that were off to the right of her. The artificial light that came from them illuminated the rest of the room, revealing the rough outline of a bed that her body was laid to rest in. She could just outline the shape of her legs protruding underneath a thin, dark sheet. Her only hand was intact, too. Andromeda was relieved; at least she hadn't lost any more limbs. 

The pain in her eyes grew too great for her to handle again forcing her to close them again. She then listened. The mundane hum of the running computer was still there, faintly, off where the lights were; and the steady pace clacking of keys. Andromeda opened her eyes again with the strength to see more this time. There was a large, dark shape that cut into the bright lights, carving away a silhouette of someone sitting in a chair. Their hands caught the pale light as they moved across the keyboard with a sense of urgency, haste and prowess, looking like pair of pale dancing spiders. The person had a collar that stood on end concealing the outline of their jaw with darkness; however, the rest of their face was directly under the light. They had high, prominent cheekbones that framed their almond-shaped eyes. Their eyes were calm, focussed.... authoritative; the rest of their face seemed permanently fixed in a state void of any emotion as if they were carved out of pale stone. She noticed that beside him on his desk was small drone on charge. It was.... concerning... how familiar it was to her. As if she had seen it befo---

 _No... no, no! That can't be!_ Andromeda panicked, recognising their distinctive undercut. She rose from the bed onto her two weak legs that could barely support her weight. 

"W-who are y-you?!" She blurted out in a raspy voice, her throat burning with pain, her body wobbling.

The man stopped typing and looked coldly over his shoulder to her. 

"Try to stay calm. You will hurt yourself if you panic." 

"Try not to panic?! Tell me who you are, n-now! You're the reason why I'm here, _you_ did this to me!" She yelled horsely. 

"No... _They_ did this to you, and to me. They -- _they_ did this to both of us." He stood up from his chair. His face was shrouded with darkness as he faced her, opposite to the blue lights.

"W-what do you mean?" 

He came closer with his hands in his pockets. Andromeda began to push her back into the wall, trying to get further away from him. 

"You should have been more careful." He said with disappointment in his voice. 

"I was ambushed by six Junkers!"

"You think Junkers started the fire? They drink gasoline, not burn it."

"What are you saying?!" 

"They saw this as an opportunity to eliminate you, after the Junkers did most of the damage. They were there, I put two of them down trying to get to you." 

"Hammond Robotics you mean?" 

"You could've been more prepared. I warned you that they were coming. Now the chip is gone forever."

"That damn capacitor chip? What about me?! Everything that I own is gone!" Tears started to fall down her hot cheeks. "It's... all... gone.... All gone... W-who are you?" 

He was now within arms reach, casting a giant shadow down over her entire body. Andromeda put her hand on his chest to try to push past him when her wobbly knees suddenly gave way. He swung around, catching her in his arms and held her steady against his chest. 

She looked up at his face that was in the dim, blue light, and was horrified with what she saw. 

"You're.... You're...."

"Crypto." He answered.


	4. Brokering a Deal

"Crypto." He answered. 

Andromeda staggered backwards in shock. "Y-you're a... You're a Legend! An Apex Legend! W-what on Solace have you got to do with me?"

"They don't know everything, but me? That's how I found you. The capacitor chip that you had, it was the only known existing unit in the entire Frontier. When I heard that you had one I had to know if it was true. It could've been a trap for people like us looking for those parts."

"And you were going to give me just a thousand Legend Tokens for it?!"

"I was being followed that night. It was too dangerous for the both of us. I couldn't return while they watched you. I intercepted a live bounty from Hammond Robotics, I came as quickly as I could but I-." 

"Well it's gone! Just like everything else..." She took a step away, "You better let go after all the pain you've caused me."

"You're safer here." He said softly.

"Here?" Andromeda paused and looked around for a window but there weren't any. "We're not on Solace anymore, are we?"

"No..." Crypto replied solemnly. "They know you're alive, but no one will find you. You're long off the grid, now."

She was starting to feel herself getting horribly weak as her heart began to pound violently, forcing her to collapse backwards onto the bed. "H-how long have I been out?" She asked with tears in her eyes, and her hand on her forehead to steady her dizziness. 

"Five days."

The stench of dried blood, sweat and oil that came off her seemed about five days worth. However, at that point she hadn't washed in over a month so she was positively revolting. She then noticed that she was wearing someone else's loose-fitting clothes, and suddenly felt viciously violated. 

Crypto must've realised what she was feeling. He tucked his hands into his pockets and turned his face to the side, hiding his expression from her. It almost seemed like he was embarrassed. 

_Is he... blushing...?_

"It wasn't me who changed you." He growled.

Andromeda paused for a while. "Why are you helping me?"

He turned his head back. His eyes were cold and unforgiving, yet painfully tired. The bags under his eyes were almost as dark as the bruises on her skin. "The truth is coming. But for now you need to rest." 

Andromeda watched him as he walked towards the door. "You must be hungry. You can use my bathroom while you wait for me to return." 

"Wait! " She whispered. 

Crypto stopped, and turned his head slightly towards her to listen.

"Y-you told me something while I was asleep... You said you're always watching, right?" Andromeda paused, "And this is your bed, i-isn't it? Have you slept at all?"

"It's not me that matters right now." The automatic door opened, and he slipped into the darkness that was beyond. 

She laid her back down onto the bed from the exhaustion that overwhelmed her, unable to fully process what had just happened with her weakened mind. Five days... Andromeda thought to herself; sick to the stomach with the thought that she was helpless for five days. She edged her fingertips up the side of the body, feeling the contours of her bruised ribs, and then her chest where every breath still stung, and her shoulder where the bite had been. She had no blisters or open wounds or broken bones, there was only patches of healing, pink skin where the burns had been. 

_He could've just let me die. But he didn't, so surely he won't kill me, right?_

She let her arm slump over her head, thinking to herself. If only D.O.Cs could grow back limbs-- _Heavens,_ what is that smell?! Her eyes pickled from the stench that wafted up into her nose. She almost gagged. Andromeda sat up slowly. 

_He said bathroom, right?_

The only bathrooms she had ever known in her area were in a handful of stores and bars, and they were on the very cusp of being in Downtown Solace. Those were the places that would have kicked Andromeda to the curve if she ever tired to enter. The only bath she ever had was one that came from a damp cloth and a bucket filled with water she had already used, even as a child. She had only ever seen proper bathrooms in pictures online when she used to covet a life of the rich and famous; telling herself all the while that she would have all of this one day, but that hope faded over the years. 

Andromeda saw an open door to the left of the large room she was in and hobbled over to it. She cautiously turned on the light. 

"A thousand Tokens my ass!" She grumbled to herself, seeing a beautifully pre-made bath before her. For someone who's rich enough to have running water he sure did act poor. 

She slowly entered immaculate bathtub filled crystal-clear lukewarm water after slipping out the soiled clothes and throwing them to the side. She smelled like rancid flesh, and smoke, and built up sweat; it was enough to make even her stomach turn. Clumps of blood and dirt began lifting off her skin while oil slowly oozed out of her pores revealing her badly bruised and battered skin that was underneath. She hugged her legs from not wanting to see the large grotesque patches of puss yellow and purple skin. The water comforted her in a way that no other surface could ever. It soothed over her aching and tender muscles, cradling her body in its warm, gentle arms. She was in no state of mind to reject this softness that was being offered. If she was stronger she might've fought her way out of Crypto's clutch, but now she was far too weak to refuse the situation; and so she embraced the moment fully, letting her matted and knotted hair fall down into the water.

Even after a while Crypto had not returned yet, and the water began to turn an ugly, dirty brown. She had soaked there for what seemed like an eternity, consumed in her tired thoughts and haunting memories. The void in her heart grew bigger as she painfully remembered the sight of her shop going up in flames, as well as seven years of her life and all her savings. It grew so large that she felt hollow, and empty, and desolate. Andromeda believed if someone cut her she would just deflate. She didn't know if she was truly safe there but a part of her didn't care. She didn't have anything to lose. 

"I'm sorry, Crank." Andromeda murmured, shakily climbing back into Crypto's bed. 

She laid her heavy, wet head down, and felt the water seep from her hair into the pillow. The cool dampness brushed her lips, her ear, trickling down her naked neck like Crypto's breath had once done. She wearing the same sweat stained shirt that she had on before, but even so she hadn't felt this clean in a long time. A haziness began to seep into her mind as she laid there in the darkness listening to her wheezing breath; tiredness was starting to pull her down. 

Her last thought drifted to him as she remembered how his unyielding face looked in the pale blue light. Those dark eyes... How they were locked onto hers. Glittering like dark waters... It enough to make her feel undone.

 _Crypto... Tomorrow, I'll..._

* * *

Andromeda woke up to the sight of an instant noodle cup in front of her, sitting on the bedside table next to a glass of water. She remained still on her side while she looked around the room. There were no windows, nothing to tell her what time of the day it was. Crypto wasn't there either, however, his browser was open as if he had just left for a moment. She sat up and took the noodles into her lap. Although it was cold, it looked more delicious than anything she had eaten in seven years, and so she began to eat.

The automatic doors opened, and in came Crypto with his hands in his pockets. Without even looking at her, he sat back down in his computer chair. The noodles were barely lukewarm, and mushy from soaking in the broth for so long; but the familiar flavour made her feel safer. She silently mushed the food into swallowable bites that her sore throat could handle while he worked. She wasn't even sure he knew she was here.

"I never thanked you, properly..." Andromeda piped up, "For saving me." 

Crypto was silent. 

"So... Thanks."

"천만에." (You're welcome) He said without looking away from his monitors. 

"My name's Andromeda. Thought you should know considering you saved my life and all."

"I already know..."

"I would like to know why though."

"You're still too weak."

"Then send me back to Solace, I don't have time for this! I've gotta rebuild my shop from the ground up now, thanks to you!"

Crypto then typed something and sat back in his chair, allowing Andromeda to see. Up on the screens was a giant wanted poster that had her face on it. It was an old mugshot from years ago when she tried to pull one on the cops by not paying them half of what she made that month. 

"Shit." She cursed under her breath. 

"They know that you're alive. Solace is too dangerous to return to at the moment." 

"Doesn't have to be Solace, I can set up shop anywhere." 

He then pulled up over a dozen wanted posters up from the Freeport System, the Badlands, the Dakota System, and from planets she didn't know existed. Her warrant for arrest seemed to stretch across countless languages and solar systems, leaving nothing unturned or unaware of her. 

Andromeda put the cup onto the bedside table in order to stand up. Her legs were incredibly weak, but slightly stronger than they had been the night before. She hobbled over towards him, "If I can walk, I'm strong enough to make my own way. Just do me a a favour and open that door of yours and I'll be on my way. It will be like we never met! I know you have it locked." 

"They don't know you're here. I can get you things while you recover." She could see him tracking her through the side of his eye. 

"People nowadays don't just offer free rides like this. I know what happens to girls like me when men lure them with food and a roof to go over their heads. Next thing you know they're addicted to Rush and have to pay off a debt by whoring themselves. Now you tell me what you've got planned for me or I'll make it ugly for you." Her hand extended outwards towards his shoulder. 

Crypto shot up from his chair, snatched her arm and twisted it behind her back. "I said touch me again and I'll kill you." 

Andromeda gave a soundless yelp as the pain shocked her entire core. She grit her teeth, trying to resist his overpowering strength. He effortlessly forced her down onto her knees, earning a crackled cry from her. 

"Don't be an idiot. Only fight the battles you know you can win." He said before lifting her up and throwing her back onto his bed. 

She gave scuffled scream, wailing around on her back in pain. "Ice.... I need ice!" She wheezed out between gasps. 

He left the room promptly to fetch ice. After the doors closed, she sat up quickly and flicked open his wallet that she slipped out of his inner pocket. Tucked away was an Apex Card, and a photo of three people. A young man and woman, and an older woman in the centre. Was that... him? He looked incredibly different than he did now, having glasses and a tie on, he was even smiling. The girl next to him could've been his sister, but had red hair. Behind that photo was a citizenship card for the planet Gaea. 

"Gotcha!" 

Crypto came into the room again with a bag of ice wrapped up in a cloth. She could see the shock in his eyes as he realised she was standing with his ID in her hand. 

"How do you think I managed those years on the streets? Tae Joon Park, huh? Looks like I'm not the only one with a warrant. You've been on the run for some time, haven't ya?"

"I'm not the enemy here." He said firmly. 

"Then tell me why I'm here!" Andromeda yelled. 

Crypto sighed, and placed the ice on the desk. "I'm going to take them down..." His voice was filled with so much anger and disgust, both his hands turning into fists. "You saw that photo, right? That's my sister, and they have her. I'm going to hack into their systems, locate my sister, and clear our names. Their files are encrypted with a software that the IMC developed for messaging allies in the Frontier War. Hammond Robotics installed their Titans with a capacitor chips, allowing them to decrypt incoming messages instantly. I am missing that chip. It is the last piece I need to execute my plan. I've been hiding for five years, preparing, waiting.... 

'When I heard a parts shop in Downtown Solace had a capacitor chip, I nearly blew my cover. I could've got it that very night, but they were already suspicious of you by then. I waited too long.... I sit there every night, looking at those codes that contain the location of my sister. She could be dead or alive, I don't know. But it's all in those lines that I can't decrypt." 

"I'm sorry...." She replied softly. She could sense the building fury in his body like a storm after a heatwave, just ready to explode.

"I need your help... Finding another capacitor chip." He looked up to meet her gaze. His eyes were so uncomfortably intense that her skin began to crawl, forcing her to look away. 

"I basically hit the lottery with that thing. I only managed to get it because the pirate that sold it to me thought it was a piece of junk, just a farmer Titan from before the Frontier War. It was almost impossible that he found it in the first place! I didn't even know it was a fighting Titan until I had a look under it's hood. For all the good that shit-heap gave me."

"Where did he find it?" Crypto pressingly asked. 

"I-I don't know! I didn't care to ask. I had it, that's all that mattered."

"Would you be able to contact him?"

"Well, sure I could. If he's still alive. If they're after me then chances they're after him too." 

He took a step towards her with restrained excitement. "If you help me get a capacitor chip I'll give you enough Tokens to rebuild your shop, more even! Enough for anything you want!" 

Andromeda paused for a second while looking down at her amputated forearm. She felt her nonexistent hand itch with ambition. 

"No." She refused, "If I help you find it, I want you to clear my name, too. I also want enough Tokens to buy a ticket to Harmony, my home planet, and them some so I have enough to survive. And proper materials to build a new hand for myself! I'm gonna need both of them if I'm gonna help you." 

"I have one condition. You'll never say my name again." 

"Hah, why would I? We've both got a secret now. I won't tell if you don't."

"Sounds like a deal then?" He offered his hand.

She took his hand into hers and shook it firmly. "Sure is. It's a deal, Tae." She started to laugh, "Ahhah just joking! Don't you ever laugh?"


	5. Black Titanium

Andromeda's nightmares always played out same. Playing over and over again, night after night, until she couldn't tell it apart from real life anymore...

_Mama!_

The air was thick with vaporised blood, and ash, and smoke. She would be there holding her mother's hand, choking on the acrid air, helpless as she watched the life bleed out of her.

_R-run!_

There would be this terrible shriek from high above, and then the shell would always drop. She would watch her mother's terrified face before the fire consumed them both.

"Mama!" Andromeda jolted awake, groping the dark air for her mother's hand. Her lungs heaved for air while her heart slammed against her chest. She wiped the beads of sweat that were on her brow and collapsed back into bed, steading herself. Crypto didn't seem to hear her luckily, but she could hear him. 

"I'm glad she's warmed up to the idea." A woman said in the darkness. Her voice was sweet, and rich with an accent Andromeda hadn't heard before; but flat, like she was coming from a computer. 

"Ya, I'm relieved, too. She's in it for the money, not vengeance. Ha, she's smarter than she looks, and tougher too." Crypto replied. She could barely recognise it was him because his voice was incredibly relaxed and friendly when talking to her. 

"You should know by now that size and strength aren't everything." The woman giggled.

He paused for a moment. "Do you think it would be possible to make?"

"You underestimate me, Crypto! You may be stronger, but you're playing in my backyard now. I've sent though some designs that I want you to look at. I don't have her measurements so they are rudimentary of course, but not bad for an electrical engineer, no?"

"These look good, thank you."

"De rien. Let's see if we can restore her circuits!"

Andromeda woke up hours later to the sound of running water, entirely forgetting what she had heard in her tired haze. The light to the bathroom was on and he door was closed, she could make out his dark silhouette through the frosted glass door. 

Taking this as an opportunity, she quietly moved over to his computer and sat down in his chair. Her weak eyes strained under the enormity of light that shone down on her. On his desk was one of his drones in a state of repair as the lens had been completely shattered by a bullet. She felt the urge to repair it, however, resisted and focussed her attention on the monitors. She lifted up her hand to take the mouse when all the screens suddenly turned black, locking her out immediately.

"Don't touch that!" Crypto yelled across the room with his head sticking out of the slightly ajar door. He was very unamused. 

Andromeda jumped with fight. "Where do you get off scaring me like that!? How can you expect me to help you when I can't even use a computer? How uncivilised do you think I am?"

"Don't touch my things." He warned again, closing the door with a click. 

"Isn't it little bit too late to say that? Anyway, I can't help you unless you help me. Speaking of, I need to go back to my shop to see if anything is salvable. Just a single intact data chip will do. Space pirates close all their wires and go off the grid for a while if they're contacted out of the blue by someone they don't know. I have no hope gettin' ahold of that guy unless I have some fragment of my original signal from Solace."

"싫어 (No). It's too dangerous." He said before turning off the bathroom light.

Andromeda briefly looked over her shoulder to see him walking across his room with nothing more on than pants. His ebony hair was slicked back and still wet, dripping drops of scented dew down the nape of his pale neck. His face was calm, composed, and rejuvenated, giving him a faint silver sheen. From his time fighting in the Apex games, his body was muscular and defined with broad, devastatingly strong shoulders and chest, down to his lean abs that caught the light as he moved. Through his pants she could see the outline of his brawny thighs that rippled while in motion. She could not deny he was incredibly mesmerising to watch as his pale skin shift seamlessly over his muscles through the pale light. She felt herself blushing and pulled her eyes away quickly before he noticed she was looking. 

After slipping on a shirt, he came over and rested his thigh against the desk as he stood near her. Crypto brushed the strands of hair that had fallen over his brow, looking down at her with those dark, glistening eyes that were deep in thought. 

"Clean up after you use my bathroom." He said curtly.

She turned her face away from him, trying to hide her cheeks that were turning a scarlet red. 

"And shower before you bathe. It keeps the water clean."

"Uuuhh, sorry! I-I didn't know." She stuttered over her words, turning her face even further away. "W-why are you s-standing there?"

"That's my chair..."

Andromeda looked up at him for a moment. One of Crypto's hands was resting on the desk beside his hip while the other was gently threading through his dark, wet locks, revealing the finer features of his face that she hadn't noticed before. Like his rounded hairline, and thick, slightly-slanted eyebrows that framed his monolids. And his eyes, that slowly glided over the monitors before dropping down to meet her gaze. He didn't seem preoccupied with deep, impenetrable thoughts that always moved behind his eyes like turning gears. Rather, they were glistening in the light with a tender fondness as he looked at her. She could see that one corner of his soft lips was almost curled up into a smirk. His bare, muscular arms revealed that he had similar mechanical augmentation on his forearms and hands that he had on his jaw and neck. Andromeda felt a dangerous urge to touch the smooth, black metallic gilding; yearning to feel that cool titanium bite brush up against her skin.

She stood up suddenly, trying to escape that thought, and quickly darted away into a corner of darkness where he couldn't easily see her burning red face. 

"They'll find you immediately if you try go back to Solace. They still think you're on the planet. Keeping you off the grid is the only secure way to go." Crypto began talking, swinging around on his chair and swiftly unlocked his computer. "But," He paused, typing something while his eyes were on screens, "I can go for you." 

"Won't they be patrolling the site, waiting for me to come back?"

"Don't worry, they'll never catch me. There's a cargo ship leaving today at 0600, I will have to leave soon if I'm going to make it. If you need anything, write me a list."

As Crypto prepared himself, Andromeda was writing parts and tools she needed to make herself a new hand, and a radio. She missed her dinky, old robotic hand, even if it had its moments and hiccups; but at least it was something. Having nothing from her forearm down reminded her of the years she spent on the streets, begging for money. She despised the feeling of nothingness where something ought to be. 

Crypto slotted his drone into its holder that hung on his back, and packed his laptop. Far from the softer version she had seen only minutes before; he now seemed hardened with unforgiving, unyielding eyes. She imagined this is what he looked like before dropping into an Apex game.

She handed the list to him and watched as he tucked it into his pocket. 

"I'm gonna go insane if I don't have you around to annoy! I have nothing to do." She complained while sitting in his chair. 

His harrowing eyes ever so slightly softened with amusement, just for a second. He walked over to his desk, pulled out an electronic tablet that was in one of the draws and handed it to her. "Use this. I don't know how long this will take so I'll unlock the door." He walked out of his bedroom with her in quick pursuit. 

For the first time she could see what was beyond that automatic door. She stood beside him in a small living room space that was connected to an even smaller kitchen, and a closed door. There were no windows, however, it wasn't that dark from the warm, ambient lighting that trickled through the space. Her eyes panned over the evidence of his bachelor lifestyle; the slightly unkept kitchen counters with empty takeout containers, no table for eating, and a pile of dirty laundry sticking out of a corner of the door. The air was stagnant with the faint musk of wood, and the smell of sweat and flavour packets. 

"We're underground, aren't we?" 

Crypto was already walking over to the main door that had an entrance pit built into the floor, where he kept his shoes. He didn't answer her question but she knew she was right. 

"Don't open the door to anyone." He said firmly, taking the handle in his hand. He didn't look over his shoulder to see her one last time, but paused, and slightly turned his head. "Don't be an idiot. I'm always watching." 

And with that he slipped into the pure darkness that was beyond that doorframe with nothing more than a sweet little jingle of his necklaces to notify his departure. She wondered if she would ever see him again.


	6. Dark, Thunder

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to the people who gave kudos to my story!!!! It made my day!!! <3

Andromeda placed down the empty noodle cup on the coffee table on the third night of being alone. She laid her body down on the couch, feeling the ground shake as another rumbling thunder rolled through the earth surrounding Crypto's den. She could almost feel the electricity of lightning dancing in the air, tasting it with every slow breath she took in. 

Suddenly there was a large _bang_ against the front door. This was not thunder, she knew instantly, it made the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end. 

She stood up from the couch with her eyes permanently locked on the door, waiting in the silence that was as sharp as a knife. 

_Bang._

It went again, sounding louder than the last. 

_Bang!_

Thunder broke and rolled through the den, shaking the walls. 

Andromeda tiptoed over to the entranceway where she heard a faint muffled noise coming from the metal door. She listened through the sound of her heart slamming against her chest as whoever - or whatever- was pressing their body weight against it from the other side. She moved a little bit closer, cautiously taking the cold handle in her hand. She felt the metal give, as if someone was trying to open it when the door suddenly gave way and burst wide open. A terribly strong and cold draft blew right through her, enveloping her with the nauseating smell of fresh flood. Crypto was in the doorframe, shivering in the dark, and so heavily slumped over that she couldn't see his face. He took a slow, shuddering step before collapsing before her eyes. She threw her arms forward just in time to catch him, but the force of him coming down on her was too much for her body to handle. The two of them came crashing loudly onto the tiled floor. Andromeda yelped in pain as she felt her chest being crushed, however, there was something more disconcerting; the sudden feeling of something wet and warm against her skin. 

Crypto rolled onto the ground beside her with both hands covering something on his body. 

"Tae!" She cried, scrambling onto her knees. She looked down, seeing that his hands were covered in blood as they pressed into his right rib. 

"Id- iot.... I said - d-don't open - t-the - door..." He barely uttered between sharp gasps. Blood mixed with water started to pool underneath their bodies. 

Andromeda sprinted to the bedroom to get the Med Kit she had been sitting on the beside table. She fall to her knees beside him, tearing open the bag with her knee and hand. She desperately pushed away his bloody hands that were as cold and stiff as ice, and pulled up his shirt, revealing an open gunshot wound just below his ribcage. The ghastly sight of that blood-spurting hole sent a wave of fear down Andromeda's entire body. She froze, nausea overwhelming her as her hands were dripping with his blood. She could smell the ash again, the smoke, the reek of freshly upturned blood-soaked earth. Crypto shuddered, his hand snapped around her wrist, pulling her back to reality. He looked up to her, his eyes rampart with raw, primal fear. His lips opened as if to say something but nothing could come out.

"Hold on!" She said, suddenly launching back into action. She clamped her teeth shut on the corner of an Emergency Patch (or E-Pac) and tore it open. She felt his fresh blood on her lips and before she could wipe it away, the horrible taste of blood suddenly filled her mouth. She silently choked on the salty metallic saliva in her mouth as she applied the tinted blue, gel-like pad onto his skin as quickly as she could, praying to the Heavens that he didn't have any disease. She watched as the patch instantly swelled in size as it drew out the bullet that was still in his side. As his bleeding was starting to be stemmed, she took out a healing syringe and jabbed it into his wrist, instantly stabilising his condition. 

Crypto suddenly took a loud and deep breath in. He grabbed her hand forcefully, their eyes locked. 

"They know."

Andromeda felt the blood drain out of her face as a second wave of nausea rolled down her body. "A-are they coming? Did they follow you?"

" 싫어 - N-no... B-b-ut they k-nnow - t-that y-you're - h-here - on Gaea." 

Andromeda looked up to see the door that was still open as it creakily swayed in the wind. It had been locked from the outside while he had been gone, making escaping near impossible. She could taste electric raindrops on her lips, and the fresh, robust earth, and the sound leaves rustling in the wind. She was still.

 _What would I get if I leave, besides my freedom? Begging on the streets again, be killed, raped, arrested, die of starvation?_

She looked down at Crypto who's skin was almost as pale as snow.

 _He wouldn't know I was gone for long enough... I could be anywhere._

His body shuddered from the cold. His skin was like ice.

_I could fix him up just enough... Just enough that he wouldn't die..._

His eyes were flickering shut. He was starting to pass out. 

_He wouldn't know for hours...._

But something stopped her. He had cared for her, watched over her, changed the E-Pacs that were on her burns, stayed awake while she slept. She may have been a blackmarket dealer, but she knew what she had to do. 

"We can deal with it another time." Andromeda put his arm around her shoulders and helped him to his feet. 

He was heavy but she could bear it long enough to help him into his bed. She laid him as gently as she could onto the sheets. He was weak but stable enough to breathe. His eyes were closed, however, he hadn't passed out yet, and was _barely_ clinging onto consciousness. Andromeda felt his cold hand wrap around her wrist with the last of the strength he had left. 

"Mila..." Crypto whispered with his eyes closed, "Mi--"

"It's just a gunshot wound, you're gonna be fine. Thought you would be used to it by now.... Absolutely fine. Just a scratch!" She jokingly said, trying to calm herself down more than anything. She wasn't sure that he would be fine. 

He took another deep breath in before slipping away. She stayed there for a moment, leaning over his body, watching as he slowly breathed. He was still so... so cold. She had no hope of taking off his soaking clothes when he was in such a fragile condition so she grabbed every towel she could and patted him down. Andromeda took off his shoes and socks, dried his hair and wiped the blood from his hands and face. 

"You can kill me when you wake up." She said to the unconscious Crypto as she patted the drops of water from around his neck. 

She then covered him with the blanket and pensively monitored his condition. Once she was convinced he would survive on his own for a couple of minutes, she left his bedside. 

She quickly walked back to the open front door, closed it and locked it without hesitation. She looked down, seeing two large bags on the floor. Inside one of them were all the parts she asked for, including a partly intact data chip. She could've roared with happiness as she held it in the palm of her hand, it was a miracle this little piece of her life survived; however, there was something quietly moving in the other bag that caught her off guard. She slowed opened the moving bag, two little fuzzy black ears popped out, and two yellow eyes caught the light. 

"Tomcat?" 

Rather, it was a tom _girl_ , Andromeda marvelled, pulling out the kitty that had lived in her shop. Some of her fur was badly singed, and she reeked of smoke, but overall she was intact - slightly disheveled - but still alive! 

"Oh so you must be Mila?" She asked the cat and got a little meow in response. "You're a clever girl, Mila. Come on, you must be starving."

Andromeda gave the black cat water and a small can of sardines from the pantry before reapplying another emergency patch onto Crypto's already shrinking wound. His breathing seemed slightly stronger, and he had some colour in his skin. She gently brushed away the hair that was over his brow and pressed the back of her palm to his forehead to check his temperature. Luckily, he was warmer than ice but colder than a fever. She sighed with the little relief she could feel in that moment. Crypto - even with a hole in his side - managed to wince at the sensation of her touch. 

_He was still going to be out of for a while._ She thought as she pulled her hand back and watched the slightly uncomfortable expression on his face melt away. She decided to clean herself and the entrance up before getting started on the radio communicator while she waited for him to wake up. 

Several hours had passed, and Crypto had remained the same. She kept an ear out for his breathing as she tinkered at his desk, fearful that he could stop breathing at any point. The thunderstorm had done its worst and eventually dissolved into silence, allowing her to focus. 

Radio transmitters were the lifeblood of blackmarket dealing; they were so easy to make that children could make them out of scrap metal, and could tap into major broadcasting frequencies in Solace, but also hard to track. Decades before Andromeda set up shop, blackmarket engineers developed identifying data chips that could be sold easily and as simply as a phone number. And this chip had hers.

"Come in _Empress._ This is Andromeda, from Solace. Do you copy? _Empress,_ come in." She clearly said into the transmitter. There was only silence in return. Andromeda doubted if they were still operating after what she went through; they could've jumped solar systems or worse....

Crypto softly mumbled something she couldn't understand, and started to restlessly move around, as if suddenly panicked. "Natalie.... Mila!" He cried out in his sleep. 

She came to his side and placed her hand on his. "Don't worry, Mila's here." 

His eyes suddenly flicked open, "뭐? (What?) - wha... " He asked while trying to sitting up. 

"The cat? Isn't that what you meant?"

Andromeda could see the hope in his face completely dissolve into anger. He snatched his hand away, unable to even look at her. "Don't say her name again." He growled. 

_That's his sister's name._ She realised quickly. Her cheeks turned a deep shade of red from the embarrassment she felt. 

She turned away quickly, "You betta get some res-"

"Thank you." He interrupted before she could finish speaking. 

She looked over her shoulder. "I-it was nothing! But I guess we're even now, right? A life for a life."

"I'm serious. 고마워 (Thank you)."

Their eyes were locked. An intense moment passed in silence as they glared at each other. His cheeks were tinted with the colour of life again, a shade of pink that reminded her of cherry blossoms that she had only seen in photos. He laid there with his hands clenched into fists, the bulge in his neck slowly pulsing in perfect harmony to the rise and fall of his chest. 

"I...I didn't expect you to be here when I woke up." He said softly. 

"We made a deal." She replied, "And by the looks of it you had been bleeding for a while before you got here. You had, hadn't you?" Her gaze wondered down to his shirt that was encrusted with his blood. 

"Yes..." Crypto answered reluctantly. 

"Will you tell me what happened?"

She could see the shame in his eyes. He slightly shifted his body and looked away. 

"You're due for a change.... And probably another syringe. It doesn't look infected but I need to take a closer lo-" She reached out to take a new E-Pac from the Med Kit beside the bed.

"No." He barked, "I can do it by myself." 

"Don't be a tool, Crypto. I'll patch you up and we can go to a hospital-"

"No hospitals." He grunted.

"B-but these won't be enough by themselves. Shit - we don't know if the bullet got one of ya organs - o-or which one at least! _Heavens_ , are you so eager to die?" 

" _No hospitals_... I'll be fine." 

Crypto tried and failed miserably in his attempt to sit up. She would have laughed but knew his pride probably couldn't take another hit. Instead, she shook her head and opened another E-Pac. She cautiously pulled the blanket down to his hips, revealing ghastly aftermath that the bullet left behind. He didn't flinch or wince in pain, not even once, not when she peeled off the used patch or inserted the obnoxiously large needle into his wrist. He just laid there with those dark distrusting eyes, silently observing her every move. 

"How did you know how to use one of those?" 

She paused, slightly perplexed that he _asked_ her something. She considered ignoring the bastard for all the stress he's put her through, but it was unlike Andromeda to pass up on the opportunity to talk, especially in a tense situation like this. 

She tilted her head back up towards the ceiling slightly as she recollected. "I think I remember them using em' on my arm in the military hospital, before I was carted off to Solace that is. But that's ancient history now.... Both you and I are very damn lucky that they can just about heal anything. I still reckon we should go to a hospital, just to have it checked out-" Andromeda answered while she put the used materials in a disposal bag. 

"When did you lose your hand?" He asked, interrupting her. Much to her surprise.

 _Ah._ Andromeda realised that it was the painkillers and sedatives from the syringe asking, not him. 

She pulled the blanket back up over his chest. "I was nine." She answered eventually, her eyes grew heavy with the haunting memories of her past. "I-I don't know how many years ago that was now... I stopped counting after I turned fifteen. That was maybe, um... Five or six years ago, maybe... There's no point keeping count." 

She wasn't sure why she answered his question so readily when it was something she barley spoke about. Maybe it was because she didn't know if he would remember it in the morning. Or maybe because she pitied him. Or maybe because... when he looked at her, she didn't feel quite as alone in her suffering as she usually did. 

She paused, looking down at her one hand. "C-can - can you t-tell me - w-what it was like? W-what my store was like?"

He was growing more sleepy by the second. "There... Wasn't much left...." He murmured softly, his pale eyelids fluttering shut. 

Andromeda felt the tears well in her eyes. "Huh... May not have been much but it was home. Paradise really, at least compared to what I've been through... To think I almost got out of there... What a joke, huh?... Anyway, you should get some more rest." 

This time he didn't say anything in return. He was already fast asleep - and he stayed like that for a _long_ time.


	7. Contact

"Come in, _Empress_." Andromeda said quietly into the transmitter, trying not the wake Cyrpto who was still fast asleep. 

Nothing. Absolutely nothing. 

"I don't have high hopes for this working." She confessed to the little black cat that sat at her feet. 

She stared up at Andromeda with those big yellow eyes. 

"What are you lookin' at me for? I don't have any beef on me right now."

She meowed quietly in response. 

Andromeda sat back in Crypto's computer chair with her knees brought up to her chest. "Hang on a second..." She said to herself while deep in thought. "I think you could be onto something!"

She lunged at the transmitter and worked feverishly at it with her one hand. She muttered quietly to herself as the cat continued to sit and watch in silence. 

"No fucking wonder!" She said to herself while she stood on her very tippy toes on the very edge of his desk with her stump against the wall and her hand holding up a makeshift amplifier that was wired to the transmitter. The desk strained underneath her weight and creaked loudly in protest. She pushed her hand out further, extending her arm until her shoulder hurt while her ankles shook terribly.

'What are you doing?!" Crypto asked suddenly, his eyes wide with disbelief as he saw her basically climbing up the wall. 

Andromeda jolted in shock. "Ah! You're up!" She said while looking back over her shoulder, the desk creaking uncontrollably with every slight movement. "I uh-- I-" 

"Can you get off my desk before you break it?" He barked. 

She jumped down and quickly returned to the transmitter. "The signal strength, it was too low! One sixth of what it originally was on Solace, actually. " She said while looking down at it. "With the amplifier it gives us more of a chance of contacting 'em! I mean, we're fucked if we don't, but this is the best chance we're gonna get!"

"Hold on." Crypto got out of bed and came to his desk. With dry blood still caked onto his skin and clothes, he logged onto his computer and began magnifying the radio's signal. "That _thing_ is hardly going to boost your signal. If I just..."

"No, wait! Are you sure?" She asked, "B-but - w-won't that run the chance of getting doxed? A transmitter is one thing but to use your computer..." 

Andromeda looked up at Crypto who was right by her side. His face was stern, and serious; consumed in thought, as if he had been working beside her all day and not dying from a gunshot wound. If he did feel pain, he didn't let it show; if he felt anything, he did not let it show. She looked down and saw the dried flakes of his blood underneath her fingernails that she couldn't quite scrub away, remembering how vulnerable and fragile he felt when he was in her arms. 

"영원히 가족 (Forever family)." He whispered before his hands blitzed across keyboard. 

She slowly sat down in his chair, signifying her resignation. She watched in silence just as the little black kitty had done before, marvelling by how fast he could work. She was relieved to see the determination in his eyes again as he looked up at the screens in an almost trance state. 

"Joh-a, I think I got something." He muttered quickly after some time had passed. 

"Doesn't it hurt? Mine still hurt..." She thought out loud. 

She saw him briefly look over to her in the corner of her eye. He was silent, his hands slowed down considerably on the keyboard. "I don't have time for pain-" He said softly, and then paused, before he reached out. His hand brushed up against Andromeda's forearm as he adjusted something on the transmitter that was in front of her. 

Seeing him reach out towards her like that was enough to send shivers down the length of her entire spine. 

_Heavens..._

So many years alone... Without touch. Just pain and violence. Hits and kicks and broken bones and bruises... but never _touch_... Andromeda breathed in deeply, feeling every agonisingly slow second pass in equally agonising potency. _Heavens--_ his skin was so _soft._ Softer than anything she's ever felt. Was this a delirium? Why wasn't he moving? In fact, it was almost like he was refusing to move. He lingered there with his long, slender fingers gripping a dial she had seen him adjust a _good_ few seconds ago. She knew that he knew she was watching, so why didn't he move? Her heart shuddered, every sensation was starting to feel much more intense - like the sound of his breathing that was loud to her as crashing waves. Hot blood began to rise and pool in places within her body as her thoughts fired thick and fast through her mind. Her limbs started to feel loose and weak, greedy... ambitious even - she felt the need to feel his titanium alloy again, but only the urge was stronger this time. 

"Or for anything else." He muttered under his breath, finally moving his arm away from hers. 

Andromeda exhaled. Fidgets - had she forgotten to breathe?! She took a second to steady herself and her thoughts before she spoke into the communicator again, hoping that he didn't notice that she was shaking. 

Once again, nothing. 

Although he didn't show it, he was disappointed - and she was too, especially after all of that work! She sighed, leaning back into his chair again. "I'll keep trying, ok? You betta clean up and get some more rest." 

" _No._ " His voice resonating deep in his chest and tarnished with anger. "I'm fine. Like you said, I should be used to it by now, _right?_ "

"Hey - don't take it out on me, mate-" 

"Do you think I _enjoy_ fighting for them? The same people who kidnapped by sister and framed me for her death? Bleeding for their entertainment... teh... You don't know anything about me." 

"I'm trying to help you, alright?"

"Then get out of my chair." He growled. 

Andromeda was getting irritated. She stood up suddenly and faced him. "I know enough to get you killed. How many people can say that, Tae Joon Park?" 

Crypto's eyes were filled with as much distain and disgust as the night they first met. "I told you to never say my name." He snarled.

"Yeah well I didn't agree to be your emotional punching bag when things don't go according to plan but look where we are! I'm the best chance you have for finding your sister so cut the shit or good luck with finding the chip by yourself." 

The tension between them was so intense that she could feel the air grow stiff. To think - he was the same man who had been trembling in her arms only hours before, clutching on her for tear life. It seemed that the vulnerable Crypto she had cared for had died, giving rise to the mysterious, infuriating Crypto that had cost her shop and all her life savings. His eyes briefly darted down to her lips as they stood chest to chest. His breath was rolling over her naked skin like warm waves of water. She felt the overwhelming urge to cut all these ties and release this unbearable, mounting tension by... leaving. She opened her mouth to tell him where to put all those Legend Tokens when the unimaginable happened. 

" _Copy that. This the Empress is hearing you loud and clear, Andromeda._ " 

"Bloody hell, you had me turnin' a spanner right then!" Andromeda sat back down into the chair and talked into the radio communicator with a huge sense of relief in her voice. She had instantly recognised the voice of Captain Pereira. His deep, charismatic voice was unforgettable compared to the drab world that surrounded her as he innately radiated a familial warmth and a friendliness. 

" _Foi mal!_ (Portuguese - My bad!), _Andromeda._ " Pereira exclaimed with the smile she could hear through his voice. He was probably the only person she could tolerate saying her name because of how smoothly he rolled the r's. " _We were dancing with a hell of a cosmic storm, my Heavens was she a fierce one! We're picking up your signal Gaea, you were on Solace last, no? One of my crew thought you were a stranger and almost cut the lines, ha! He's new._ "

"Yeah, got my shop done over by the bastards. They found out about the Titan from one of your crew. Heard he was talking about it while in Downtown Solace."

" _Ah.... My bad but I cannot control these men, you know? What can I do you for then?_ " 

"Well, now, you owe me one, and I'm cashing it in. I want to know where you found that thing."

Captain Pereira fall quiet, Andromeda could tell he stopped smiling. " _We cant. It's too risky to talk over comms._ " His voice was strained with seriousness. " _How about we grab drink?_ " 

Andromeda watched as Crypto typed two words onto the monitor closest to her; _Paradise Lounge._ "Ey, Captain, let's break for a second." She turned the communicator's microphone radio off. "Isn't that Mirage's joint? That's on Solace! What are you fucking thinking?!" She asked. 

"It will be secure. More secure than anywhere in the Frontier." 

"They'll still be bounty hunters and cops crawling all over the city looking for me!" 

"You have to trust me."

Andromeda chuckled, "You're out of your mind. You know that, right? And you telling me I'm out of sorts? Man, you have a lot of issues."

" _Roma, are you still there?_ " Captain Pereira asked, slightly impatient. 

Andromeda looked into Crypto's eyes that pensively waited for her approval - almost begging like a puppy. The desperation and anxiety that raged in his body was so potent and so tactile that she could feel it in the air. This was his only chance, she was his only chance. 

"Paradise Lounge." She blurted out, turning on the microphone again. 

" _On Solace?!_ " He laughed. " _What you wanting to go back to Solace for!_ " 

"Well the closer you are to danger, the more inconspicuous you are, right? They're not expecting me to be on Solace, so that's where I'll be! We'll meet at the Paradise Lounge, yeah?"

" _Makes no sense to me but if you insist! I'll be there in five days, just gotta finish a shipment first. Always a please talking to you, Roma. Out._ "

"See you then. Over and out." Andromeda quickly jumped up out of out chair. She squealed with relief and excitement, "Did you hear that?! We're still in it!" Swept into the moment of triumph, she threw herself towards him, wrapping her arms around him and hugged him tightly. She didn't even realise what she had done until she felt the sensation of cold titanium seep into her cheek as she had her face up against his chest. She instantly pulled back, mortified. "U-uuh... aah-h!" Andromeda staggered backwards and turned around towards the desk, blushing. "Ss-sorry..." 

Crypto keenly took a step towards her, and wrapped his heavy arms around her body from behind. Andromeda gasped, feeling her body go aflame from sensation of his skin against hers, his breath on her cheek, his hands crossed over her stomach, boxing her arms into her chest. Her hand seemed to naturally fall onto his forearm where she could could feel his steady heartbeat rippling through her palm as it gently rested on his skin. She couldn't deny the sheer relief she felt in the moment from of feeling how warm he was compared to what he was. Although he was still cool to the touch, he was _alive_ , and she didn't truly knew what that meant until she was standing here in his arms. She closed her eyes, his long fingers dug deep into her skin as if he was afraid to let go, forcing her heart to frantically beat against her ribs - almost exploding out of her chest. She was in euphoria, a dream, a fantasy. Nestled firmly into his towering frame with her head against his neck, and his cheek against her hair, breathing slowly and calmly into her ear. She didn't resist, she didn't dare to.

"Cr-Crypto? W-wha-what are - you doing?" She stammered in a tiny, little voice. 

His strong, guiding hands turned her around and into his embrace. 

She blushed even harder, her cheeks were now a ruby-flame. Her body strained against his arms in a desperate attempt to resist his power, but that only seemed to make him more upset as he immediately pulled her closer into his chest. She paralysed, utterly incapable, defenceless and completely unraveled from having his body against hers. 

"Andromeda...." He quietly moaned, his eyes hidden from her. That was the first time he had said her name to her. Those four, hauntingly-soft syllables trickled out his lips and melted deep into her skin, allowing her to feel how much he yearned for her. His affects were devastatingly strong, she felt like she was about to collapse.

His hands slithered up her body and took the back of her head and jaw into his hands before tilting her face up to his. He opened his mouth as if to say something but words were beyond that moment. He wanted - no - _needed_ to feel her. She could taste his yearning for her on his breath, ripping through his skin, his touch, the way he trembled as he held her, his gripping a handful of her hair....

"J-u-just just wait a second!!" She tried to resist with the little strength she had left. 

She couldn't deny these feelings even if she tried to now with their lips were barely apart; so close that she could feel his lukewarm skin. Her body began to give in, and soften, and melt into his touch. Her hand on his chest gripped his shirt with urgency, and pulled him closer. However, their lips didn't meet. He refused to give into the last centimetre that was between them. 

Crypto withdrew suddenly, leavening her body frigid and unsteady. She felt the cold bite of air where his arms had held her, the terrible feeling of emptiness set in. She was completely undone, her nerves were frazzled, shaking, quietly gasping for air as her heard shuddered. He left her without a word, and went straight into the bathroom; leaving Andromeda's heart to ache.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thinks are finally heating up!! Huhuhu XD


	8. Rains of Rebirth

They hadn't talked since _the incident..._ and that was two days ago. 

Within a couple of hours after their close encounter, Crypto was already skilled in the art of avoiding her. So you can imagine after two days... he was practically a master. Skilfully manoeuvring in and out of rooms, avoiding her stares, weaving a web of invisible string around her with his tactical, sly movements, silently existing in the same space as her. When Andromeda entered the same room as him, he would leave. If she tried to speak to him, he would ignore her. He refused to look at her, or even in her direction, it was like she didn't exist again. 

_Fucking bastard..._ Andromeda thought to herself while soaking in the bathtub one night. 

She sighed deeply before sinking down until her nose was just above the water. The water was warm and soft against her lips, and she wondered if that's what his kiss would've felt like. Soothing... Effortless... Embracing... She sunk down further, trying to escape her thoughts of him - but she couldn't. He seemed to be everywhere... Well, this was _his_ place, but regardless! She looked around and saw his cologne on the sink countertop, then down to his pair of stupidly large bathroom slippers she refused to put on, and then to the set of his clothes that she's been reduced to wear for the meantime. Her eyes drifted down to her own body and.... _Oh shit._

Her nipples were hard. 

But not only that, her thighs were trembling, desperate to be touched. Andromeda closed her eyes and felt the rush of desire wash over her body as she remembered the sensation of his skin against hers. She bit her lip, hard, as her hand trailed down the length of her torso to the heat that was growing quickly between her legs. 

_He - he wouldn't be able to tell..._

The dew-drop dripping walls softly reverberated the quiet _clicker-clatter_ of his keyboard, drowning out any sound of her quickening breath. Crypto... She thought of the first time she saw him fighting in the Apex Games. His banner was splashed all across World's Edge as he was the kill leader with double the amount of damage compared to anyone else, and he was alone, clutching his Wingman in the shadows when the fourth ring closed - he had his teammates' banners but there was no respawn beacons left. She remembered how he looked in that final shot before the last fight erupted. He had blood smeared across the corner of his right lip and down onto his chin from a small nick in his skin that he had gotten from a close encounter with Wraith's kunai. His eyes cold and focussed, gaze narrowed, forehead smooth and expressionless, his finger on the trigger as enemies approached. Fearless. She had to bite down on her forearm to keep from whimpering as she drew closer to climaxing. Her dinky little monitor could not do him justice - no, nothing quite could when she had seen him in the flesh, and touched him, and - _Heavens..._ To think that she had touched the hands of a Legend, or felt his breath upon her lips, or gazed into his eyes! They don't shine, not even when he wins. Matte, and empty, like two bottomless pits... But they shine - oh how they shine when he looks at her. Shimmering like two pebbles under a steam water. Only her.... Only Androme-- The water splashed onto the floor as she came hard and heavy around her own fingers, muffling the sound of her prolonged moan the best she could. 

As she felt the last drops of ecstasy trickle out of her body, her thoughts sharpened and suddenly, before her very eyes she envisioned a plan to get him to talk.

The next day she stood outside the bathroom with her hand clenched into a fist. He was inside, she could see his dark, blurry silhouette move across the frosted glass.

"Fidgets!" She whispered under her breath as she worked up the courage to speak. The thought of another day passing while doing this ridiculous and painful dance was unbearable. Enough was enough! She cleared her throat and puffed up her chest as the words slithered over her tongue and to just behind her teeth. "We're meant to be on Solace in two days time," She said loud enough so he could hear her through the door, "and we haven't talked about anything. I don't care about what happened the other day, Crypto. If we're gonna get this chip then we need to have a plan!" 

Crypto was silent, but she saw his outline shift slightly.

Andromeda could feel her cheeks starting to blush. "C-an-- C-could ya say somethin' to me? Anything! You haven't slept. Barely eaten! Bloody spanner, you were shot just a few days ago!.... Please say something, _please??_ "

He was silent.

Black anger started to burn inside of her, filling her with rage. She wanted to scream, and curse his name, and break things, an-and-and....

"I'll wait here all night if that what it takes..... B-but you're in there, r-right??.... Right?" 

She was answered with more silence. 

Andromeda knew that he knew she was bluffing. She wouldn't really wait all night because she knew he could easily outlast her. He was the king of insomnia after all... A bathroom siege wasn't going to be worth it, and besides, she was already getting bored and hungry! She sighed with defeat. It was a good plan in theory. She looked down at her feet where Ember (the cat) was wrapped around her legs like a ribbon, meowing for food. "Mission failed. Come on, girl. Let's get dinner." She picked up Ember and made her way to the kitchen. 

She was emptying a can of salmon into a bowl when suddenly she had her second great idea. 

"Aa-h shit! Damn it... _Ooowwww!_ " She exclaimed loud enough for him to hear, really playing it up for the non-existent audience. "Fuck..." She said again, biting down on her lip and making that _hissing_ noise as she breathed in. She put her hand underneath tap water. 

And like clockwork, within just a few seconds, he was there. Already leaning over her shoulder to see what she had done.

"What happened?" Crypto asked with a tone of voice that seemed artificially reserved. 

Andromeda turned away from him and pulled her hand into her chest where he couldn't see. " _Oh_ , I just cut myself on the can. It's nothing... Really, it's nothing! Opf, ow! Ow!" 

She truly deserved an award for this wonderful performance. 

She tried to take a step away, but something stopped her.He had giant sized hand wrapped around her upper arm with his fingernails already gently pressing into her skin. Her thighs clenched at the realisation that he possessed enough strength to _easily_ overpower her, and yet, his touch was as soft as water. No wonder she never felt him reapply any E-Pacs...

"I said it's fine! It doesn't concern you." She persisted with a secret little smile on her lips. 

He grunted with frustration as his grip tightened. He quite suddenly pulled on her arm impatiently, forcing her to look back at him. "It doesn't concern me?" His eyes sharp and narrow as he gazed down at her face. 

All her insides were running red hot and shaking she held strong and resisted his strength with the pullback on her own arm. "No. It doesn't."

He yanked her body towards him, snatching her wrist into his hand in one smooth motion. "That's for me to decide...." He growled, taking a look at her hand. Her heartbeat skyrocketed as she stood there in silence, feeling his gaze slice through her skin as if it was a blade, throughly studying the curves of her skin. She bit her lip with anticipation with what was about to come next. His eyes suddenly became big. "Oo...." There was no cut.

Andromeda giggled a little, "Think I don't know how to make you talk, huh?" She taunted him. 

Crypto withdrew his hands from her, "백치 (Idiot)." He cursed under his breath, turning the other way from the embarrassment. "I'm not coming to help you _ever again_."

"Hey!" She lunged forward, snatching a handful of his shirt in her palm. "Don't shut me out! Please..." 

He was frozen in place with his face angled away from her. He didn't move - not even an inch - despite the fact that she holding him back with just five fingers. He was wearing a freshly washed shirt, she could feel the crispness of the fabric underneath her fingertips as she held onto him, and could smell of the scent of sandalwood bodywash wafting off his skin. She bit down on her lip as her gaze drifted up to his broad shoulders that were as stiff and still as steal. She was right about him not having his likeness captured accurately on screen because he was _tall,_ and oh so refined from all his hours training and fighting. She felt herself becoming weak as she stood there admiring his rippling muscles that were spread out across his back like a butterfly. 

"Let me go." He growled deep from the back of his throat, almost animal-like. 

Andromeda swallowed the thick mouthful of saliva that had been pooling on her tongue. The sound of her heart beating crept up into her ears as she blinked dumbly, unknowing of what to do in the moment. 

_No, no, no, not now. Please don't be scared now!_

Her hand started to shake. 

"I-I n-need to know what you're thinking," Her voice came out as a faint little echo. "If we're going to do this together... We meed to start acting like a team."

She watched as he titled his head backwards up towards the celling and took a deep breath in. He closed his eyes, his chest expanded with a breath he yet to release, a strand of smooth, ebony hair fell from his eye. "Forgive me." He sighed, opening his eyes. "I.. Don't work well with other people." His shoulders relaxing with every second that passed by. "I've been doing this alone for years. I'm.. just not used to.... _this._ "

Andromeda was caught off guard by his sudden change in demeanour. She was speechless. Did - did he really just say that?

"I understand..." She said eventually after a few moments of silence.. "But you can't do that to me. Can't just shut me out like that - not when we've got a mission to do."

"I'll.. try... not to, anymore..." He paused, and looked over his shoulder. "Will you let go of me now?"

Andromeda felt her a wash of colour splash across her cheeks. She smiled timidly, suddenly hyper-aware that her fingers were still enveloped in the white folds of his shirt. "You seemed to like it the first time..." Her hand eventually dropped to her stump and moved up her forearm where she rested it. 

Crypto turned to face her with a look of discomfort in his eyes. He pushed back the lock of hair that had fallen over his eye again and stuttered something. His throat seemed tight, his skin flushed and for the first time she saw nervousness in his face. His gaze suddenly sharpened. "I have a plan, but I didn't know how to tell you. For us to strand a chance in Solace... You are going to need to look different-"

"Yes, I assumed so!" She cut him off. 

"No, Andromeda. You have to become a different person. Unrecognisable."

"Wait, what?" Her heartbeat quickened. "You're talking about that blackmarket surgery shit, aren't you? L-like what you have?"

Crypto nodded solemnly. 

"I..." Her voice faded into silence. She looked down at Ember who was circling her feet again, and she thought of her shop, and Solace, and then her mother. She used to have her nose, once a long time ago, but it had been broken so many times since then. Now, all that was same between them was the colour of their hair - but now even that was in jeopardy. Once that's gone they'll be nothing left of her. Not a photo, an heirloom, or even a single document that acknowledges her mother's existence since the war had taken everything. 

"The question is, are you willing to give up your identity... for this?" He asked, gazing down into her eyes. 

_For you, you mean. And for Mila. And for getting back to Harmony. Mama would understand._

"Yes. I am." Andromeda answered with much less hesitation and much more confidence than he expected. Her skin was almost glowing as she smiled up at him. For just for a second, streaks of oil and dirt reappeared on her skin, a tool belt was wrapped around her narrow hips, in her hand she held a bottle of water, her singlet moist from the sweat she had just wiped away. Then, and now, her eyes shone like stars. 

Crypto blinked, and she had returned back to normal. "I have contact here on Gaea who is willing to help us. Slots are limited, so I need to know - are you sure? I'm not going to ask again." 

"I am, but I can't pay him."

"Don't worry about that." He said. "Be ready to leave at a moment's notice." 

"I'll only do it if you buy me some new clothes, too." 

His eyes dropped down to get a look of her body. She was devilishly cute in his shirt that was definitely too big for her, and even cuter when she was asleep in his bed. Although he hadn't slept in two days, she sure has, and he couldn't deny seeing her little body wrapped up his bedsheets made him feel uncomposed. She had no pants on, allowing him to see her beautifully slender legs. He quickly looked away, feeling his cheeks turn pink. 

"Fine." He said before turning around and began to walk away. Ember meowed again, reminding Andromeda that she was still yet to be fed. She quickly gave her the salmon and as she stood back up she noticed that Crypto was still there. 

"Andromeda?"

"Yeah?" 

She could make the outline of his face as he looked slightly over his shoulder. "Thanks for not giving up on me." 

_Was.... Was that a smile??_

* * *

"Ok, are you ready? You're going to feel a pinch in three... Two... One."

The last thing Andromeda could remember was the feeling of the needle pricking her arm. And fuck, did it feel _good._

This... This was better than any healing syringe she's ever had. This was _pure bliss_ in just a few microliters of clear solution. 

She felt her eyes roll back into her head as the world around her quickly faded into a fluffy pastel rug that she could stroke with her outreached hand. "Crypto... Cr.... T-t...." She slurred.

"I've got you." Their voice broke out across the planes of milky pinks and blues like a white bird in flight, soaring high above her head. She liked to believe it was him, but she couldn't be sure. Fidgets - she wasn't even sure she was alive anymore!

Quickly the warm, fuzzy rug that enveloped her faded underneath her touch, and all too suddenly, the familial bite of dark nothingness had swallowed her whole. 

She felt like the darkness had gone on for days, the never ending oblivion that she had gotten so used to. However, Crypto explained that she would be asleep for only thirty minutes. Thirty minutes... So little time. But apparently to blackmarket surgeons it was enough time to change a person's entire identity. She never liked what she looked like, but she was unnerved that people could change faces like they do clothes - for a price of course. 

Eventually, the light returned as a little spark that looked like it was burning at the end of a corridor. She could hear the sound of machines beeping, the rustle of bodies around her, she felt.... clam. It was painless. Her eyes opened; it was bright and blurry. 

There was a chuckle. "Excited to see, ey? Better take it easy, your body needs to catch up with the changes."

"Give... me... a.... mirror." She wheezed out of her numb lips. Out of the blurry haze that surrounded her, someone placed a mirror in her hand and she lifted it above her face. 

The first thing that came into focus was a pair of glistening ruby eyes that were staring directly at her. Facets of gold, orange and crimson shone within them, twinkling in the light like two brilliant rubies. She was so taken aback and embarrassed by their beauty that she looked away, but then she looked away.... Her heart stopped. We-were they _her_ eyes? Andromeda looked into the mirror again and those red eyes were gazing right back at her. She blinked, they blinked. And all of a sudden, everything became clear. Her hair that had once been a short and shaggy mousey brown was now a starlet silver, and it was long, _very_ long... It was unbelievable, like a river of moonlight pouring out from her head. Was she still dreaming? She touched her soft cheek with her stump. Her long, crooked nose was now button-like. She could see veins stretch across her face, but they weren't red or blue? No...They were inset titanium fracture lines that contoured to the natural curves of her face. Her skin that had once looked so lifeless and devoid of any nutrition now radiated a healthy, warm glow. Her flat chest was filled out, she could feel the weight of them press against her as she breathed out, and the sudden heaviness that clung to her ass and thighs. 

Andromeda bolted upright. Her eyes were filled with tears as she looked at herself. "I'm... I'm..... Dreaming, aren't I?" Still in a state of disbelief, she pushed herself off the bed onto her two feet. The rush of the cold concrete sent shockwaves up her spine. 

"Sit down, you're going to hurt yourself." Someone warned her. 

She laughed, shaking her head. Long, straight waves of hair swooshed over her shoulders; _her_ hair, it was her hair that fall over her shoulders and down her back. "I need to see the sky. I need to get out!" She exclaimed while ripping the tubes out of her arms and chest. 

"You need to sit down, now!" They yelled. 

She broke free of all tubes with her ferocious strength she didn't know she possessed. Quickly a tall shadow fell over her body, and a pair of hands gently landed on her shoulders. She gazed up to see it was Crypto. The entire world that surrounded them was still a bit woozy, and janky; it made her head spin, but he was as solid a rock in the sea. 

"Andromeda, please sit down." He gently asked. 

She took his hand off her shoulder and pressed it to her supple cheek. "So I'm not dreaming... This _is_ real." She whispered to herself, " _Look_ at me. Look at how beautiful I am. I want... I _need_ to see the sky, right now."

He nodded. His strong arm slithered around her back and underneath her arm, allowing her to lean on him as they slowly climbed up the stairs that lead to the door. She threw herself against the huge metal door, and with a huge push she swung it wide open, revealing an entire planet that had been hidden from her until now. She stumbled onto the pavement feeling the squelch of grit underneath her feet and all around her toes. Her senses came flooding back to her when a strong cool draft blew through her body and swept her hair up off her shoulders, filling her with delight.

Gaea. A world with three moons, and there they were... High above their heads, floating in an endless sea of stars. Thrusting into the serene sky were the heads of impossibly tall skyscrapers that seemed to reach for heaven itself. The city that surrounded her bustled with a fantastical rush of life and dazzling lights. Unlike Solace, the air didn't reek of blood and death, but was fresh and crisp, like she had always imagined how the air ought to be. Her eyes filled with tears as her heart swelled with joy. A raindrop landed on her cheek as wispy clouds began to roll over the city, obscuring one of the moons . She could taste it on her tongue; the sweet richness of clean water. 

Andromeda turned her face up to the sky, embracing the rain that came pouring down. She felt the layers of her past life disintegrate as it melted and slid off her body. She took a deep breath in; her first breath as a new woman, signifying the presence of a freedom she hasn't felt in a long time. Dazzling raindrops fall onto her eyelids and long, dark eyelashes, trickling down her cheeks with the tears of happiness she shed. She raised her arms up to the sky, as if to embrace the world, and felt the sensation of the rain kissing her fingertips of not only her right hand but her left, too. She knew that it was wasn't actually there, but she felt whole with the ghost of her hand in that moment.

She lowered her arms, and opened her eyes. She was absolutely drenched to the bone, but the joy she felt burn inside of her of her was enough to make her feel warm. 

Crypto stepped out of the cover with his coat in his hands. "You're going to catch a cold." He warned, placing his coat on her shoulders. The heavy rain began to soak through his black shirt and hair, weighing him down like a wet carpet. 

She looked up at him with a smile on her rose coloured lips. Her ruby eyes sparked in the warm-blue darkness of the night. Her skin radiated an unearthly glow that made her new features shine with a beauty he's never seen before. He was speechless for as he watched her twinkle in neon lights like a fallen star.... A silver starlet. She seemed to burn brighter in the rain, he could almost see steam coming off her skin. 

She felt the weight of his jacket press down on her shoulders, embracing her with the same tenderness that his arms had once done. "I want to experience Gaea." She smiled up at him with big eyes. 

His expression softened, and he almost give a little smirk. He pushed the hair out of his eye, sighing "If you want to..." 

Andromeda grabbed his hand with hers, interweaving their fingers. Crypto's cheeks instantly became tarnished with a rosy blush; he stepped back, trying to pull his hand away. She giggled at the discomfort and embarrassment she saw in his face that he tried to hide. 

She gently tugged on his arm, "Let's go." 

How could he refuse when she looked at him like that?


End file.
